Gear Review - The Fly Shop Landing Net

As kids growing up in Alaska, we didn't use nets. We brought salmon in and clubbed them. There was no need for a net. As a catch and release fly-fisherman, it is more of a necessity but I didn't want to spend a lot of money. I went with the Catch and Release model which is the middle of three sizes The Fly Shops offers. For $30 it does exactly what I need it to because it's a landing net, it just trails behind me and waits for me to catch a fish. It is sharp and looks like it's supposed to.As for it's durability, I'd point to my freezer. Last summer while trout fishing on the Thorne River in Alaska I nailed a 10-pound salmon. With no club I bonked the chrome coho with the side of the net. The fish lost, the net yawned. Though it's not recommended, I repeated this process a few more times that day and the net held up.Sometimes hooks get caught in the mesh which isn't the highest of quality, but it's still non-abrasive to protect the fish, and it is only 30 bucks.www.theflyshop.com